


Captured Chance

by MashiarasDream



Series: Yours!verse [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Alpha!Balthazar, Alpha!Sam, Fluff, M/M, Mating Cycles, Mpreg, Omega!Gabriel, Smut, a/b/o dynamics, alpha!cas, definitely a lot less angst as in the last one, established relationships - Freeform, heat - Freeform, omega!dean, time stamp 3 for Yours
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2018-04-02 17:18:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4068151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MashiarasDream/pseuds/MashiarasDream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What can I say? The heat is on! (And Cas and Dean are getting it on.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Captured Chance

**Author's Note:**

> So, I’m giving you a little present before I’m off to PurCon. I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> I’m assuming everyone knows how heats work in the A/B/O verse in principle. In my little verse, heats are a regular thing, ruts are not. This is because regular ruts (which some stories assume) make zero biological sense to me since they do not increase the chance of offspring unless there is an Omega in heat around. Hence, in this verse ruts are triggered by the scent of an Omega in heat if they happen at all.

Dean is working on the Impala when he feels the first tingles of heat. That is, at first he doesn’t even notice that that’s what it is. What he notices is that he’s warm, so he takes off his flannel before he goes on fixing Baby up. Bobby’s found good parts for her, all originals.

Dean hadn’t intended to buy originals of course, too expensive, especially now that he has quit his job. Well, they’d have been too expensive before, too. But with the extra time on hand and not wanting to sit idly in the house all the time, he’d thought about fixing Baby up some at least. He’d looked for parts online, and apparently he isn’t exactly diligent about closing his browser tabs when he goes to fix himself a sandwich. Because next thing he knows, Bobby calls out of the blue and asks him what parts he needs.

Dean wipes the sweat off his face. It’s windy, and summer is turning into fall fast. He shouldn’t be sweating this much. He bends over the motor again and tightens another few screws. His Baby will purr like a kitten once he’s through with this. He’ll take Cas on a joyride first thing. Cas has paid for the whole shenanigans after all.

Dean had tried taking it up with Cas after Bobby’s call. Tried insisting that it was too expensive and totally not necessary. That he could find cheaper parts that fit on the internet, even if they weren’t originals. Cas had levelled him with that stare that is all Alpha and Dean’s mouth had gone dry with something that wasn’t quite fear. He had caved within minutes and then dragged Cas off towards their bedroom.

While the memory makes him smile, the current moment doesn’t. Honestly, it isn’t humid enough to feel this bad. Dean straightens up and tries to take a deep breath. There is a heaviness in his lungs and he feels clumsy and strange. He goes over to his water bottle and takes a long sip. Okay, that helps some. But it also makes him aware that the heat seems to be centered in his gut, not in the air outside.

In his gut.

Oh.

He fishes for his cell phone to shoot a quick text to Gabriel. He can’t help himself and stops to look at his lockscreen, though, before swiping over it to enter his password. The photo shows him and Sam, both of them beaming, Sam in the flowing burgundy robe and stupid hat of the recently graduated. Cas has taken the shot at the graduation ceremony. It was a toss-up between this pic and the one taken before the valedictorian speech, which is really funny because Sam looks completely green around the nose. But in the end, Dean wants to see happy Sam on his phone when he can’t see him in person every day.

_Dean: Feels like actual heat?_

It takes less than 30 seconds for the reply to come.

_Candy man: Skin too tight? Head lighter and heavier than normal at the same time?_

Sweat trickles down Dean’s neck and he slings the towel around his shoulders while answering.

_Dean: Feels weird._

_Candy man: Better go find Cassie fast._

Dean stares at the message for a moment. If this is it, then that is probably a good idea.

_Dean: Better be sure first._

Gabriel’s answer comes immediately.

_Candy man: Chicken shit._

Dean growls at the message even though he is aware that Gabe is not wrong. He has worked himself into quite a state about this issue over the past few months and Gabe knows it without Dean ever talking much about it. Whether it is Gabe’s own issues that make him perceptive, or whether Dean really is this easy to read almost doesn’t matter.

_Dean: Wouldn’t want to disappoint him with a false alarm._

_Candy man: Sure that’s all there is to it?_

Gabe doesn’t write it but Dean hears the message loud and clear: _Sure you’re not just scared to end up like me?_

Dean fidgets uncomfortably and tries to sit where the wind can cool him.

Gabe is better than he was, the weeks and months between the diagnosis and now having allowed the first acute pain to pass. But he’s still a wreck. Yeah, Balthazar made it abundantly clear that he wants to be with Gabriel and no one but him, and there’s days when Gabe accepts it and seems almost okay. But there’s other days when Dean barely gets a word out of him that isn’t self-hate. Now it’s not like Dean doesn’t know how that works, he puts himself down often enough, but it’s taxing to hear it on someone as outgoing and funny as Gabe. If not being able to have kids does that to someone like him, what would it do to Dean and Cas?

_Candy man: You already know that the suppressants didn’t fuck you up, Dean-o. You got a clean bill of health. You’re not me._

And that is such a wise thing to say that it has Dean on edge even more. Gabe being wise means things are serious.

_Candy man: You conveniently forgot to tell me about that doctor’s visit but I talk to Cassie, too, you know?_

Dean sighs. He hadn’t told Gabe because Gabe’s problems are more serious than Dean’s. Of course Cas didn’t have the same qualms. But then, it’s not like Dean and Cas had seen eye to eye about that doctor’s visit in the first place.

\--

Dean had tried to keep his worries quiet. They had enough organizational shit to do with Sam’s graduation and his move to California, so he thought he’d done a pretty good job of not freaking out openly. Until the morning when he found a note next to his breakfast: ‘Dr. Barnes, 10am sharp.’

_‘Cas, what is this?’_

_‘A doctor’s appointment.’_

_‘I can see that. What for?’_

_‘For you. To get checked up. To see whether everything is okay.’_

Cas hadn’t even needed to say the words for Dean to know. He could feel himself blanching. _‘I don’t need it,’_ he said and meant, ‘hell no, I won’t. I don’t even want to know if something is wrong.’

_‘You do and you will go.’_ Cas’ voice stayed even but his eyes bore into Dean, daring him to disagree.

The angry answer died on his lips under that stare, so Dean just nodded curtly and sulked quietly for the rest of breakfast.

At least the bottled-up anger helped on his way to the actual appointment. Anger has always propelled him forward where otherwise he might run. He doesn’t think he’s ever called Cas quite as many names in his head as in the 45 minutes that Dr. Barnes poked at him.

The worst moment came, though, when she shook his hand and sent him home. Without results. Somehow, he hadn’t taken that into account. That he wouldn’t get the results immediately. That he would have to go home and be angry at Cas and not know what was up.

It’s a miracle that he didn’t crash the Impala that day.

Somehow, he made it home, though, and even through the day. No one can say, Dean Winchester – well, Novak now, but still – is anything but stubborn. He was quiet and determined, went out of Cas’ way and glared at him whenever Cas made an attempt to close the distance between them. The few times he actually did come close, Dean looked at the floor and adopted a submissive posture that reeked of passive-aggressiveness. Cas didn’t call him out for it, even though he smelled decidedly pissed off and unhappy. Well, served him right for trying to determine whether Dean was useful to him or not.

The sulking worked well enough during the day, but eventually, day turned into night, and Dean ran out of excuses to stay up longer. Cas was already in bed reading when Dean slunk into the bedroom. For a moment, he stood in the entryway unsure.

_‘I can sleep on the couch if you want me to,’_ Cas said quietly, book sunken to his lap.

They hadn’t done that to each other yet, making the other sleep on the couch. So after a moment of hesitation, Dean shook his head. He stripped with his back turned, though.

He slid under the covers on his side and curled in on himself, back still turned to Cas. Didn’t keep him from hearing the bookmark slide into place and the book being carefully lowered to the ground next to the bed. He expected Cas to turn off the light next but he didn’t. Instead, Dean got the prickly feeling of being watched at the back of his neck.

_‘What?’_

_‘You know that it’s for your peace of mind, not mine, don’t you?’_

Dean had a few choice words to say to that but instead he just gritted his teeth and ignored the question.

_‘I didn’t give you a choice because you wouldn’t have gone. And you need to know. You’re stressing yourself out far more than is healthy. This way, at least you’ll know and whatever the outcome, we can deal with it.’_

_‘You’re the Alpha,’_ Dean spat and meant it as an insult.

_‘I am. I’m your Alpha.’_ The emphasis lay on the ‘ _your’_. _‘It is my job to take care of you, even when you don’t want me to.’_

_‘But what if…’_ Dean started and stopped because he’d meant it to sound aggressive but it came out pathetic.

_‘Then we’ll deal. It’s better to know than be in the dark.’_ Cas answered.

Dean didn’t have a reply for that. Because yeah, he guessed that was true but he didn’t want to give Cas the satisfaction to say so.

_‘Will you look at me now, Dean? Please?’_

It was unfair, really, how soft and warm Cas’ voice was. How the hell was he supposed to stay angry at him? Sighing deeply, he rolled onto his other side so that his eyes could find Cas’. They were dark in the dim light from the nightstand, their electric blue dimmed but their gaze no less captivating than normal.

_‘Thank you,’_ Cas said quietly, a small hesitant smile on his lips, like he wasn’t sure he should be smiling yet.

_‘It was still an asshole move, surprising me like that,’_ Dean grumbled.

_‘Okay,’_ Cas agreed without arguing and opened his arms for Dean to bury into his shoulder.

\--

_Candy man: Dean-o, you still there?_

_Dean: Yeah, Gabe. I’m here. Just thinking._

_Candy man: Better think fast. Upstairs brain won’t be functional that much longer._

_Dean: I got a few hours, don’t I?_

_Candy man: You don’t want to go to that limit. Trust me. The sooner you get to Cassie, the less risk of triggering a rut in him. It’s your first heat. Ease him into it._

Dean stares at that text message for a while. Cas is so logical. So restrained. Yeah, Dean affects him more than others do, but a rut? He can’t imagine it.

_Dean: He’s too in control. He won’t._

_Candy man: Oh Dean-o, you sweet summer child._

And that sounds like Gabe has some stories to tell.

_Dean: Well, maybe it would be worth it, seeing him go wild for once._

_Candy man: It’s not. Trust me on this. Tie him up if you feel kinky. Make him go wild that way. Much safer._

Dean raises his eyebrows.

_Dean: That bad?_

_Candy man: Worse. Not necessarily during. You might not even care during. But after._

_Dean: Do I want to know?_

_Candy man: Make sure you have someone who brings you food and water. Just in case. Make sure they know they might need to force you to eat and drink. Make sure they have enough combined strength to overpower an Alpha if necessary._

_Dean: You make it sound so enticing._

_Candy man: It’s not. It’s biology. It’s not sexy. It’s fucking scary._

Alright, that sounds like wise Gabe again, better to just agree.

_Dean: Okay._

_Candy man: That mean you’re going to him now? Cause your inner compass should be pointing firmly towards your Alpha._

And if Gabe means the heat in his gut that is coiling into something that Dean recognizes as a form of desire, Gabe is not far off base.

_Dean: Fuck you._

Gabe doesn’t bother answering to the insult.

_Candy man: Hey, on the plus side, the ‘be patient’ part is done with now._

Dean groans. Cas had to tell Gabe that? Bad enough that he laughed at Dean – well, smirked - when Dean brought the news home that his ‘prescription’ by Dr. Barnes was not to worry so much (duh, as if he doesn’t know) and to be patient (so not his strength). When Cas had the gall to smirk, Dean didn’t even try to rein in his impulse to smack him, too relieved to be upset. Cas of course retaliated and things quickly deteriorated into a chase that predictably ended up in the bedroom. Dean’s pretty sure the other members of their household are thankful that Cas always has the presence of mind to catch him only when they are inside their bedroom already. The Betas have front row seats to enough of their playtime as is.

_Candy man: Now stop worrying and go. I’d say tell Cassie to keep it together, but it’s not going to happen, so you might as well save yourself the effort._

_Dean: You’re helpful as always, Gabe._

_Candy man: I know, man. I’m the best. NOW GO._

With a sigh, Dean shuts the message window. The tightness in his chest has reached a new height. He isn’t sure whether it’s the heat or his nerves. Might be both. Probably is.

He takes as deep a breath as he can. Whatever happens, it doesn’t matter. If they can’t make it happen this time, they can try again next time. At least they know now that his heat can be back. That’s something.

The world takes on a slightly sluggish underwater feel while he cleans away the tools he used for the Impala. He thinks about taking a shower before going to find Cas, aware that he’s still got grease smudged all over him, but then, Cas probably needs a few minutes advance warning here, too. So he just washes up quickly before he directs his steps towards the offices.

He grimaces when the first person he runs into is Hannah. She sniffs the air and her eyes widen.

“Do you know where he is?” Dean asks instead of a greeting.

“With, umm, Charlie, I think. They’re running through last month’s balance sheet.”

“Thanks.” He nods and half-flees. Hannah’s perfect composure usually gives him the creeps, but seeing her off balance just by his presence is even worse. The fact that his brain is slowly clouding with thoughts of _need_ and _Alpha_ does not help.

He hears them before he sees them and sighs in relief. At least he’ll only have to deal with his mate and his best friend. Well, best Beta friend. Gabe would probably take offense at him calling Charlie his best friend.

The conversation stops when he makes it to the door, the both of them just staring at him, Charlie with a gaze that’s about as wide-eyed as Hannah’s, Cas with a hooded gaze that turns hungrier by the second.

“It’ll be a couple of hours before it hits fully,” Dean says in lieu of an explanation. “Gabe said to make sure someone’s on standby to bring water and food in case we don’t make it out of the room.”

“I can do that,” Charlie says hurriedly. “Organize it anyway, someone else can actually walk in on you. I have no interest in that.”

“Meg will do it,” Cas says absentmindedly while not taking his eyes off Dean.

“Of course she will,” Dean grumbles, “she’ll take the chance to see you naked.”

And ‘naked’ was possibly the wrong word to use right this second because now Cas is stalking towards him, something predatory in his stride that isn’t usually there.

“Charlie? You good here? Cause my feet are itching to run…” Dean asks her while backing away inch by inch.

“Please be fast enough to at least make it out of the office area, okay, Dean?”

“I’ll try.”

And with that he turns and runs.

 

He runs harder than he has ever before, sluggishness and underwater feel replaced by a single focus on the Alpha behind him. Dean’s fast when he wants to be, but so is Cas. And Cas goes jogging regularly, while Dean rather drives the Impala to the places he has to go.

Still, they make it out of the office area. They even sort of make it into their private hallway, if barely. Dean is sprinting up the few steps that separate their rooms from the common area when Cas tackles him. They fall in a tangle of limbs and clothes.

“Bedroom, Cas…” Dean manages to press out but then teeth are on his neck, scraping at the oversensitive skin, licking up the droplets of sweat that have pooled there, and conscious thought flies out of the window as his arousal flares.

He doesn’t hold still, not this time, he bites and fights, because much as he wants his Alpha, this has to be earned. His Alpha has to be worthy and catching Dean is not enough.

It’s a silent struggle at first, Cas trying to pin Dean under him, Dean kicking against him and wriggling his way back out of Cas’ hold. Cas’ scent turns sharper, intensifies, his eyes glowing as he growls. Dean bares his teeth and growls right back. A sharp buck of his hips and Cas is thrown off balance enough that Dean can get up.

He makes it no more than two steps, though, before Cas is back on him. He hears his shirt rip before he feels it, and then Cas’ hands are on his torso. He tries to keep his back from arching into the touch, tries to wriggle away, but his body betrays him, his spine curving without his will.

Because his spine is far away from his brain, but his teeth are close, Dean changes tactic. His teeth find a piece of shoulder, and he bites. It’s through Cas’ shirt, so he doesn’t break skin, but Cas howls in pain and then there is a hand in Dean’s hair, shoving him roughly backwards. This time, it’s Dean howling and kicking futilely. But Cas has a good hold now, knees on Dean’s thighs, torso pressing him down. He keeps the hand in Dean’s hair, but leans on Dean’s upper arm with his elbow until Dean thinks something in his arm will give. It’s enough to keep that hand immobilized while Cas yanks at his hair to divert his attention to catch Dean’s other hand.

Cas growls satisfied when he has finally pinned Dean down completely. He leans in and bites over the mating bite.

The pain isn’t sharp. Not sharper than anything else Cas has inflicted on Dean in their struggle. But that one point of contact is the one that makes the difference. It’s like all his muscles suddenly go slack. A whine of need makes it out of his throat and he turns his head, eyes away from Cas and throat bared.

Another satisfied rumble from Cas’ chest vibrates directly against Dean. This time, when Cas lets go of his hand, Dean doesn’t fight back. Instead he lets himself be manhandled onto his stomach and then up on his knees. Cas keeps a hand on Dean’s neck, holding him down, and Dean whines keenly, because this is taking too long. But when he tries to move his hands to help, the grip on his neck tightens, and Dean just whimpers and falls back into position.

Cas yanks down Dean’s pants and his own, and doesn’t lose any time after that. He doesn’t need to, they are both plenty aroused and Dean’s body grants him easy access. Dean starts struggling against being held still, wants to grind back into Cas, but instead of letting him, Cas pushes him down, until Dean’s as flat as he’s going to get with his knees tucked under him. Cas’ mouth is on him again, biting into the flesh of his shoulder while his hips are picking up speed. Dean’s body shakes and shivers with each thrust, muscles dissolving into liquid, until being held is the only thing that keeps him from melting into the floor or possibly floating away.

When he comes down from the high, they’re lying in the middle of the hallway, panting heavily. His skin hurts on his knees and hands and he’s pretty sure even his face got rug burn. At the same time, the tightness around his chest has retreated and the itch under his skin is gone. For now, anyway.

“Cas?” He half turns around to look at Cas who’s snuggled up tightly behind him.

“Hmm?”

“Think we can manage to get this party to the bedroom before the next round?”

 

They manage. Mostly, because Cas takes one look at Dean’s state once they can turn over and is immediately worried.

“It’s fine, Cas, I’m fine.”

“You’re not.”

The worry overrides all other genetic coding and Dean ends up in the bathroom, washing up and getting every single bit of open skin rubbed with disinfecting balm.

“So, you in danger of a rut?” Dean asks when Cas is almost done. “You smell sharper than normal.”

“What?” Cas freezes in his motion.

“You know what a rut is, Cas, don’t you?” Dean asks half-seriously and takes the balm out of Cas’ hands. Cas might not have had intimate contact with the rug but he has his share of bites and abrasions that can use the attention.

“A condition characterized by the incessant need to claim an Omega over and over again, using any means necessary to achieve said goal.”

“Ah, you and your brother both have this talent to make it sound sexy,” Dean chuckles and against better knowledge almost means it. The first tendrils of new arousal are already curling through him and make even Cas’ dry way of putting things alluring.

“It’s not sexy,” Cas holds still beneath Dean’s hands but his face is drawn into a frown. “It’s a brutal way of biology to ensure one’s own reproduction over that of others.”

“Well, if that’s all it is, then it won’t be needed,” Dean answers. “I ain’t going near anyone but you.”

“You better not,” Cas half-growls but draws him in for a kiss that is surprisingly tender in light of what they’ve just done to each other.

“You okay, Cas?” Dean asks him worriedly. It’s not that Cas doesn’t do tender, but this feels like an apology where none is needed.

“Are you?” Cas asks back and brushes a finger over one of the small wounds on Dean’s wrists.

“I’m fine.” Dean catches Cas’ hand and sets it on his hip instead, closer to where the heat is already pooling again. “Getting hotter in here by the minute, though. Won’t be long before the next round and tiles seem dangerous. Want to move to the bed?”

“Very much so, yes.”

Dean’s always happy that their bathroom is en suite but when he sees that someone’s set down a plate of sandwiches and a few bottles of water right inside the door, his gratitude ratchets up a few additional notches, along with a definite increase in color in his face. He really doesn’t want to meet anyone today. Not after the performance in the hallway. Still, he picks up the goods and brings them over to the bed.

He isn’t hungry yet but he throws Cas a bottle of water and takes a long sip himself. It cools him down somewhat, better than the water outside did. But then he guesses most of that has to do with Cas being right next to him.

“Only ever went through three of these in my life,” Dean volunteers.

“Heats?”

“Yeah. The first one, of course, cause everyone has to go through that. Wasn’t the worst and yet it was.”

“Your father,” Cas says darkly.

It’s not a guess, so Dean just nods. “He was an asshole about it, but at least he got me suppressants before the next one. Didn’t do it for my sake, did it because he didn’t want to bother with his bitch of a son, but yeah, better than the traditionalist fuckers who insist on letting nature run its course and rather lock their children up for days at a time.”

He tries to keep the bitterness out of his voice but it’s a lost cause. Cas starts running his fingers up and down Dean’s spine, the pressure even and calming.

“The other two didn’t give each other much in terms of being horrible. Different reasons, though.”

Cas’ fingers travel down his arms and then back up along his chest. The touch is too soft to be instigating anything but with his currently heightened senses it’s almost too much. Cas notices and stills, nodding to encourage Dean to keep talking.

He sighs. “The first of those was before we ran. Dad was too out of it to remember buying suppressants and I was still underage.”

“You couldn’t buy them yourself.”

Dean doesn’t really get why that law is still in place. It might have made more sense when the suppressants were less safe than they are now, but he has a feeling that safety was never the main concern. He guesses he should be glad that Omegas are allowed to buy their own suppressants and birth control at all. Isn’t that long ago that an Alpha or Beta blood relative or mate had to do it. Cause of course an Alpha should be in charge of any Omega’s body, right? Yeah, sarcasm doesn’t even cut it.

“Yup. That one sucked the most physically. Didn’t have anything much to alleviate the pressure. Turns into pain pretty quickly.”

Between his tension and the mention of pain, Cas starts growling under his breath, though he tries to rein it in.

Dean leans into Cas’ touch to reassure him. “No need for that, little Alpha, I’m all better now.”

“And the last one of the three?” Cas asks tightly and lets the pet name slide.

“When we ran. Still kind of sorry to Sammy for that one. Shoulda have remembered that after having gone through one heat, my body would try to reestablish a cycle. Kind of was too focused on other shit, though. Like finding food and shelter and not getting us killed.”

Cas draws him in then until Dean is cradled against him. Since he ends up mostly on Cas’ lap, he wiggles his hips a bit in invitation but Cas doesn’t give him leverage. Well, Dean’s own fault for starting with the emotional stories. Since Cas knows Dean’s tendency to abbreviate or evade, his mate takes extra care not to let himself be distracted before they’ve seen Dean’s stories through.

“That one was the worst because we didn’t have shelter. There was no room to go to and be alone in. And I couldn’t really leave Sammy alone for too long, either.”

“He had already presented and it was dangerous for him to be on foreign pack territory.”

“Yeah.”

“But you smelling like this,” Cas nuzzles into Dean’s neck, “also dangerous for you.”

“Yeah.” And fucking hell, that had sucked. They had to make a supply run in the beginning stages of the heat and it wasn’t like he wasn’t uncomfortable enough in his own skin without the stares and without Alphas sidling closer in the store. And Sammy at 14 was an Alpha but also he wasn’t an Alpha quite yet. He’d moved in front of Dean automatically, confused but ready to defend him. Though Dean had no illusions that any grown Alpha could kick both their asses. It was an agonizing half hour of hurrying to shop for everything they needed without ever, and that one was important, looking like he was breaking into a run.

Another thing he should be thankful for he guesses. That at least he managed to avoid getting raped in front of his little brother. Talk about traumatizing your siblings for life.

“What did you do?” Cas asks.

“Stacked up on supplies and stayed away from civilization for a few days. Sam was pretty freaked out. Well, I guess so was I. But at least I was somewhat better prepared in terms of what to do.” He lets himself sink into Cas’ chest. “Definitely not as nice as having you, though.”

It elicits a low pleased rumble that Dean feels vibrating in his own chest, spreading like ripples throughout his whole body and setting his nerve endings on fire. It’s pretty clear that he hasn’t only reached the end of the story, he has reached his limit of holding out, too.

“Wanna make it a slow round? Cause if we wait longer, it’ll be wild again. And I could go for slow.”

Instead of answering, Cas just presses a row of wet kisses into his neck and Dean takes that as a yes and shifts enough that he’s kneeling over Cas’ lap instead of sitting on him. It gives him enough space to start rolling his body in long even undulations. Cas takes up the rhythm with barely a pause, rocking perfectly against him with every return of his hips.

It’s minimal movement, really, but between the pressure of the heat and their knowledge of each other’s bodies, it doesn’t take long before Cas nudges him to bend a little, so that he has a better angle. Dean holds still for the short time it takes for Cas to align himself. Cas uses the motion of pushing in to pull Dean upright again, pressing him flush against his chest and picking up the rhythm where they’ve left off.

It’s soft and gentle and quiet, but it still leaves Dean breathless, the effortless synchronicity of what they’re doing. Common sense tells him that having Cas inside him should be adding to the pressure he feels, but instead, it’s a relief. He grinds down and straightens back up, small circles, repetitive and hypnotic, the world beyond his body and Cas’ falling away into irrelevance. Nothing else is needed, nothing but them right here, right now.

When his climax builds, it is with a slow and steady pace until the pleasure finally tips over, almost softly and without even an increase in speed of their movements. He lets his head fall on Cas’ shoulder, his moan barely above a whisper but still enough to tip Cas over the edge, too.

They ride out the aftershocks together, panting and breathless but otherwise silent. There is an understanding between them that doesn’t need words.

It’s only when their breathing has long since evened out and they’re only cuddled together because they like being close that Cas picks the conversation back up. He spreads his hand wide over Dean’s stomach and asks, “Does it hurt?”

Dean lays his hand on top of Cas’, covering it more or less completely. “Right now? No. Still feels a bit like I bought my skin a size too small, but apart from that, I’m good. Will probably get worse for a day or so, though, before slowly ebbing away. From what I can say with my limited experience.”

“Okay,” Cas nods, satisfied with the answer.

They lie silently for a while. Dean tries to chase the normal post-coital drowsiness but it eludes him. “Cas?” he finally asks. “You tired?”

“Lazy. But not really sleepy.”

“Yeah, me either,” Dean sighs and turns to face Cas. “Is that not getting knocked out by orgasms thing normal during heat?”

Cas studies him for a moment. “Are you asking me whether I’ve done this before?”

Dean hadn’t but now that Cas puts it this way, “Have you?”

“No.”

Cas doesn’t elaborate and Dean doesn’t ask. Instead he burrows deeper into Cas’ skin and starts lazily nibbling lines along his chest. He wouldn’t have minded, not really. Cas is his now, well, as much as Cas is ever going to be anyone’s. But Dean’s got no right to the before. Cas doesn’t hold his before against him, either. Not that there has been much. Not in the way of love anyway.

Huh. He’d been thinking about biology and heats and sex and ended up at love. Weird. But then, maybe it is fitting. They’d started out as biology, too, scent fucking irresistible, and somehow they have ended up at love.

“We’ll muddle our way through it together then,” Dean says and means ‘it’s fucking awesome to have you’. “Can you stay the whole time or do you have stuff to do?”

The hold around him immediately gets tighter.

It makes Dean chuckle, at the same time that it also relaxes him. Cas is not going to leave. “Okay, tiger, it’s fine, I didn’t actually want you to go, you know?”

Cas mutters something unintelligible and bites down over the mating bite again. It hurts enough to make Dean yelp. “Hey!”

Still, the heat inside him flares at the blatant display of possession and okay, two can play this game. So he stretches until his own teeth find the mark on Cas’ neck. He brings his mouth down hard. There is an answering roar from Cas and the next round is on.

It’s not the real fight that the first round in the hallway was. There is more posturing now, deliberate moves like an intricate dance. They still illustrate the chase and the battle of wills and the final submission to power. But Dean can’t even feel a sting at succumbing when Cas decides to be a jester and uses tickling as his ultimate weapon of choice. And damn, that has no right to be so fucking hot and maybe he should be miffed instead of laughing breathlessly when he finally gives up and they’re getting down to business but he doesn’t have it in him.

 

Since the sheets are utterly ruined anyway and by now, hunger has become an issue, they decide to eat the sandwiches during the afterglow, crumbs on the bed be damned.

Dean shakes his head and chuckles while he watches Cas devour his sandwich.

“What?” Cas asks after swallowing a bite.

“Nothing. It’s just funny. One of the first things I noticed about you, how neat you were when eating that breakfast. How slowly and carefully you cut your food. And now…”

“I’m hungry, Dean,” Cas pouts.

“And I ain’t complaining. Might be a little proud, actually,” he adds with a private little smile.

Cas raises his eyebrows in question.

“Nobody else around that you’re losing your composure for quite as much,” Dean shrugs. “Makes me think I’m doing something right.”

Dean expects a smile and one of his reassuring standard answers but it looks like Cas isn’t in a predictable mood today because he puts the rest of his sandwich back on the plate and becomes serious. “Dean, I…” He falters over the words.

“What is it?” Dean puts his own sandwich to the side, too, and instead runs a hand along Cas’ arm.

“I do lose composure around you.” It sounds like a confession. “I act –“ he stretches a hand out to touch the fresh bruise over the mating bite.

“You act Alpha,” Dean completes the sentence for Cas who just nods curtly and unhappily. “But you are Alpha, Cas.”

“But I’m not… I’m not used to… I’m mild-mannered and level-headed and logical.”

Cas is dead-serious but Dean still grins at the self-description. It is so utterly and completely Cas. “Yeah, and I can stand my own and don’t need help living my life. I still go to the doctor’s with minimal grumbling when you tell me to.”

“Well, you did feel better knowing the results.”

“I did,” Dean agrees. “But that isn’t even the point. Point is, you’re mate, normal rules don’t apply.”

“So – I’m acting Alpha and you’re acting Omega?”

“Yeah, I think that’s the general gist of it,” Dean nods.

“Ugh,” Cas wrinkles his nose. “Gabe would be unhappy at our lack of subversive nature.”

“Hey, you can always take over nursery decorations and baby nightshifts and amp up your nesting skills when we get to that junction.”

“That’s not subversive. I was planning on being involved in all of that anyway.”

“Then maybe you already are a rebel and just don’t know it.”

Cas rolls his eyes and Dean smiles warmly.

“But seriously, Cas, you’re always pretty effing awesome, but you’re also fucking hot when you’re doing the Alpha growly thing. By all means, keep doing it.”

“Umm,” Cas blushes. “Thanks. I can’t really stop anyway.”

 

Eating somehow seems to make them more tired than knotting, so they snuggle up after they’re done with the food and it isn’t long before Dean’s eyes fall closed.

The insistent chirping of his cell phone wakes him up. He’s set it to a quiet setting but the song is unmistakable. ‘Candy Land’ by Blood on the Dancefloor. Gabe’s idea of a joke and his ringtone.

Dean sighs but then hurries to get the phone before it wakes up Cas. He’s too sluggish to get it before the third ring, but Cas just groans and rolls over and closes his eyes again.

“Hey Gabe, what’s up?” he mumbles into the receiver. Bathroom is probably better if he wants to let Cas sleep.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question? What’s _up_?” Gabe asks back.

“You just called to snark? You woke me up, you asshole,” Dean grumbles. Secretly, he sighs a relieved sigh though. Ever since their talk a few months back, Dean has taken every single call from Gabe. Dean made him promise to call before he did something stupid, so now Dean’s gotta be there if that moment ever comes.

“Already tuckered out? How often did you roll over for him so far?”

“Seriously, Gabe? This is why you called?” Dean rolls his eyes.

“Okay, I’ll word it differently: How are you holding up? On a scale of one to ten how bad is it?”

Because he’s already in the bathroom, Dean puts the phone on speaker and splashes some water over himself. It’s refreshing, so that’s a good sign. “Heat-wise? A one so far.”

Gabriel whistles through his teeth. “Cassie working some magic, huh?”

“Haven’t ever had an Alpha around before. It’s different.”

“How’s he holding up?”

Dean raises his eyebrows. “Are you asking me about your brother’s stamina?”

Gabe cackles at that. “Tempting, but I wasn’t. Is he showing any signs of a rut?”

“Haven’t actually researched the signs.”

Gabe sighs dramatically. “Dean-o, you’ve met an Alpha in a rut before, haven’t you?”

“Not for longer than a few seconds,” Dean replies dryly.

“Yeah, wanting out of there as fast as possible is one sign,” Gabe says. “Though I’m guessing that part would be somewhat different with Cassie. I mean, you two can’t keep your fingers off each other on the most innocent of days. But a rut would be – more primal. Scent intensified, instinct intensified, power intensified. Morals to use that power down the drain.”

“You think he’d hurt me.”

“Not necessarily. But his usual inhibitions would give way to the need to claim and knot. I mean, it ain’t like you would refuse him, so you’re probably safe either way, but…”

“You’ve had bad experiences,” Dean concludes.

“That’s one way to word it.”

“With Balthazar?” Dean asks back and there’s something of a growl in his voice that he can’t keep out.

When Gabe doesn’t answer, that is answer enough, really.

“What did he do?” Dean doesn’t like the thought of Gabe being hurt by his mate at all.

There’s rustling on the other end of the line. Gabe getting up and pacing, most like.

“He didn’t hurt me bad or anything. He was just – extra possessive. And it was in the beginning of our relationship.”

Gabriel leaves the sentence hanging but it’s easy enough to puzzle the pieces together.

“When he wasn’t sure of you. Alpha instinct told him to claim you extra hard so no one else would dare touch you – and to make sure you knew not to touch them, either.”

Gabe sighs heavily. “Something like that. I’d really rather forget about the whole incident. So look, Dean-o, all I’m saying is, mate or not, be careful. Even fucking huggy bear Alphas can become dangerous.”

“Alright,” Dean nods because it’s the easiest thing to do.

“At least you ain’t quite as neurotic as me about the submission thing. Easier if you can placate them without it looking like you’re faking it.”

Dean is pretty sure that he’ll never hear the end of it if he brings up the fact that he got tickled into submission during that last round. “Any other wisdom you want to impart? Cause I’d rather like to get back to bed.”

“Actually, yes. Showers. Go shower. Your body is staving off all the pain until after. Showers help to relax your muscles. Also, hygiene!”

Dean chuckles. “We do clean up, you know.”

“I don’t want to know. Just, go shower. But no shower sex! Tiles are awful. And slippery. You don’t want to break your leg and end up in a hospital during heat. You really really don’t.”

“No shower sex, got it.”

“I’ll leave you alone then. Call me when it’s over.”

“Will do. No details though.”

“Didn’t want them. He’s my brother, so, ewww.”

The line clicks before Dean can reply. With a sigh, he runs some more water over his face and then dries off. It is not as refreshing anymore as it had been ten minutes ago, even though he has set the tap to the coldest setting. The thought of a hot shower actually makes him grunt. The thought of a cold shower is less threatening but still not appealing. Later then.

Cas’ eyes are open when he comes back to the bedroom.

“Did I wake you up? Sorry about that.” Dean puts the phone back on the nightstand and slips into bed next to Cas. No covers. Definitely no covers. “That was Gabe. He asks how we’re holding up.”

“I’ve never had one. Rut, I mean. I’ve always stayed far enough away from heat pheromones.”

“You heard.”

“The bathroom door is not exactly sound-proof. So. I’ve never had one. I can’t tell you how bad it would be.”

“Cas,” Dean sighs. “That’s Gabe’s fear, not mine. And you can tell your inner Alpha that there’s nothing to worry about anyway. Either _you_ knock me up or no one does.”

Cas’ eyes lighten up at the words _‘knock me up’_ and Dean chuckles.

“Is that dirty talk for you, little Alpha? Is sex all nice but _breeding_ is what you really want?”

Cas growls at him and Dean can virtually see his rational side fight against his instincts. Gabe would likely tell him he’s tempting fate, but Dean can’t help it, he isn’t scared.

“Come on then, Alpha, no need to hold back. Knock me up like you want to.”

There’s a moment of hesitation, Cas debating whether to actually give in to his Alpha side, Dean guesses, but then a smirk spreads on Cas’ face and he lunges forward.

It’s immediately clear that this one will go down in the category of quick and dirty fucks because Dean doesn’t even have the time to enjoy Cas’ closeness before he’s being manhandled into a kneeling position. The display of strength fans the flame of arousal that was never that low to begin with and if Cas wanted to push him into presenting, he doesn’t have to because Dean is doing it on his own.

It’s not his favorite position, so it’s not one that Cas gets to see very often. The whine that escapes Cas’ throat now makes it worth it all on its own, though. Dean rocks back a little, inviting Cas to do something about this other than just stare and the spell is broken.

Cas takes him hard and fast, but not harder or faster than Dean can still follow. His arousal amps up by the second until he gets overwhelmed before he even consciously registers what is happening. He comes with a high-pitched cry and as soon as he’s clenching down around Cas, Cas follows with a cry of his own.

They fall down on the bed, a tangle of limbs in an exhausted pile of human.

“Jesus,” Cas pants.

“Not sure _he_ had anything to do with it,” Dean grins and earns a smack on the thigh for it. He’s way too blissed out for it to even sting, though. “I should dirty talk to your Alpha side more often.”

“Well, it has – interesting effects,” Cas admits.

“Jeez, Cas, you’re trying to think this through analytically? Right now? Guess it wasn’t that good after all.”

“Didn’t you just tell me Jesus had nothing to do with it?” Cas asks mock-sternly.

Dean groans but then turns the groan into a smirk. “Touché. But honestly, you sure you rather want to analyze the ‘interesting effects’ than talk some more about a bun in the oven, you know, me eating for two, carrying your offspring into the w…”

“Dean!” This time the accompanying slap is harder and he feels it even through the endorphins.

“We still playing, Cas, or you serious about admonishing me?” Dean asks and turns over his shoulder enough to get a look at his mate. “Cause I ain’t actually trying to piss you off.”

Instead of answering, Cas rubs soothing circles over the abused flesh on Dean’s thigh. “Side-effects,” he sighs finally. “Sorry about that.”

Seeing that his teasing hasn’t actually upset his mate, Dean smiles. “Nothing to be sorry about, little Alpha.”

“Why do you keep calling me that? You usually don’t.”

“Does it bother you?”

“No. I just want to know.”

“Didn’t you want to analyze something? Pretty sure you can figure that one out on your own.”

He half-expects another smack for immediately going back to teasing, but Cas is just quiet. He keeps running his fingers over Dean’s skin, but the circles become sloppy and absentminded as he thinks it over.

“It’s for my sake,” Cas finally says. “You call me that when I’m uncomfortable with my Alpha-side. You’re telling me that you’re not scared.”

“Damn right, little Alpha. Knew you’d figure it out,” Dean smiles fondly.

A loud knock on the door disturbs them.

“Are you decent?” Charlie’s voice comes through the door.

“Decidedly not!” Dean calls back.

“Then get decent! It’s bad enough that I picked the short straw!”

“Sorry, Charlie, we’re kind of indisposed,” Cas calls out but at the same time moves enough that he can get a blanket over them. “She’s going to come in anyway.”

“I’ll close my eyes! It’s past 9pm. You guys gotta eat.” She opens the door, balancing a tray in both hands.

“Told you,” Cas mutters.

“Uhh, guys, I can keep my eyes on the tray but then I don’t see where I’m going. Where am I going?”

“It’s alright, Charlie. You can look,” Cas sighs.

“Oh thank God. I’m not clumsy as such but –“, she breaks off when she takes in the state of the room and the bed. “Uhh, you’ve been busy.”

Dean buries his face in his pillow, the hot blood coursing through him for once having nothing to do with his heat and everything with his embarrassment.

“I’ll put this on the table in the corner, alright? Nice and out of the way and I’m not coming close to you. I’m just a poor little Beta anyway, neutral and no threat to anyone, especially not to my pack-Alpha,” she chirps in a singsong voice while inching towards the small desk.

“Charlie, in case you hadn’t noticed, right this second it would be impossible for either of us to attack you,” Cas says firmly. “Not that we’d want to in the first place. Thank you for bringing food.”

Charlie gingerly places the tray on the wooden surface and turns back to them. She assesses Cas with a long stare. “Ha. Interesting,” she finally says.

Dean can virtually feel Cas’ frown and he gropes behind himself to lay a calming hand on Cas. The disadvantage of this is that he has to let go of the pillow that was covering his face. He’s probably glowing, his face is so red. “You’re an awesome friend, Charles. Now, please go.”

She narrows her eyes at them as if she’s trying to puzzle them out. “You’re so – sentient. Normal. Coherent. Weird. I had an Omega handmaiden in Moondoor once and her suppressants failed and her Alpha girlfriend wasn’t even on the royal court but the way they desecrated the throne and it was my throne, you know, so I came in to ask them to move to someplace else and the way that Alpha girl snapped at me, and I mean that literally – and you don’t want to hear this story at all… Okay then. Anyway, you’re doing great. Keep doing whatever you’re doing. But maybe open the window for a while. Change the sheets. Take a shower. It reeks in here.” And with that and a quick nod, she’s gone.

“I don’t think, embarrassing even starts to cover this one,” Dean groans.

“But she brought food,” Cas says, practical as always.

And yeah, food. Food is good. It’s on the whole other side of the room though, so it’s still out of the question for a while.

“Can I confess something?” Cas asks, voice hesitant.

“Sure,” Dean nods and tries to find a position where it’s not just his back to Cas. He gives up after a moment, there’s nothing comfortable there. He’ll have to judge Cas by his tone and smell. The latter should not be quite as arousing, not while it’s still heavy with sex and they’re still locked together. Dean sighs, he’ll have to concentrate to smell any emotions without getting side-tracked by _yumm_ and by _want_ and by _more_.

“I know how much you miss him, but right now, I’m glad Sam is in California.”

A pang goes through Dean. He hadn’t even thought of his little brother since the heat started. Too focused on his hormones and his mate. But the mention of his name makes the pain of loss acute again.

Of course, intellectually he knows that he hasn’t lost Sam. Not for good. He’s going to come back for the holidays. And they talk on the weekends and text during the week. But there’s still a Sam-shaped hole in his life. An empty place at the table. A room door that doesn’t bang open. No bitching about school, no bitching about Dean’s food choices. He’s never been separated from Sam for longer than the few days of a school trip before. And frankly, it sucks.

“Charlie isn’t too far off, you know,” Cas says quietly. “Tiptoeing around me even though she’s no threat.”

Dean frowns. Cas hadn’t made a move towards defending his territory against Charlie. He hadn’t even tensed much as far as Dean could tell. He must feel seriously off-balance if he is afraid of attacking her. But okay, another Alpha would be another matter entirely. “Sam wouldn’t be stupid enough to come barging in here. He’d be good and check up on me from outside the door.”

“I know, I know. It’s just that – I’m not sure how much control I actually have. Another Alpha’s scent might be enough to push me over the edge and into a rut,” Cas says unhappily.

“Well, if it’s any consolation you’ve scent-marked both the room and me to the point where it’s going to make any other Alpha retch.” Dean chuckles. “Not that I haven’t done the same thing with you. Wanna see that Omega that dares to get their paws on you while I’m anywhere close by.”

“I wouldn’t let them anyway.”

“You’d better not.” His own possessive growl takes Dean by surprise. Damn. Shouldn’t be that territorial. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Cas plants a kiss over the mating bite. “Yours as you’re mine. You got a right to growl.”

And okay, yeah, maybe he does. Cas chose him after all. But then of course, not that long ago, that wouldn’t have meant that much. He could have chosen any number of Omegas besides Dean, too. Not nowadays, not legally, and Dean doesn’t think Cas is inclined to that kind of life-style, but, “Never got that. How they did that. In former times. Whole harem of Omegas. You’d think everyone was going to scratch each other’s eyes out.”

“You’re assuming love,” Cas replies after thinking about it for a minute. “I gather there was very little of that involved.”

“How many Omegas do we have in the pack?” Dean asks. He hasn’t ever bothered to check that. He knows that everyone expected Garth to present as Omega, because he’s short and scraggly, but he defied the stereotypes and turned out Beta.

“Grown ones? Not many. Statistically speaking, they’re the smallest group anyway.”

“Recessive genes, yeah, I remember that much from school.” While Betas can carry dormant Alpha and Omega genes and both occasionally find their way to the front, it is exceedingly rare that the recessive Omega genes actually do so. Usually, when there’s Omega offspring, there is an Omega parent involved.

“And most young Alphas leave for college at some point. Now a few of them elect to come back, but they are often paired off already. And while we have our share of Beta/Omega couples…”

“… it’s not the same.” Cause the neutral scent of a Beta would never match like the scent of an Alpha. The couple could grow to love each other, but the true mate thing would not happen for them.

“So we try to give them a chance. Send them to co-ed colleges. Make sure they’re safe and have the chance to find a career and a partner. It does make for a population in the pack that is overwhelmingly Beta, though.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“With a population overwhelmingly Beta, have you ever looked for a partner?”

“When I was much younger and studying to be a doctor, yes. I wasn’t a particularly good catch, third in line in succession to the pack, and socially awkward, but my opinion alone that my spouse should have any career that they want was enough to create some interest. None of the candidates was you, though,” Cas says with a squeeze to Dean’s shoulder. “I guess I still would have decided on one of them before the end of college if the business with Michael and Lucifer hadn’t gone down the way it did. I wouldn’t have wanted a marriage of convenience, I always knew that I wanted to wait for my true mate. But I didn’t want to give Michael the chance to try marrying me off the same way he did with Gabriel. Even if it wasn’t a true mate, this way, I’d have preserved some control over whether I liked my spouse at least. Which is more choice than Michael would have given me.”

“Thought that only happened to Omegas,” Dean frowns.

“When there’s pack politics on the line? No, believe me, it happens to everyone then. Even some unlucky Betas get dragged into the power play.”

“Not our children,” Dean says determinedly and because they’ve been able to separate from each other for a while now, he turns over to Cas for emphasis.

“Not our children,” Cas agrees.

“They can be with whoever they like,” Dean repeats.

“Yes,” Cas nods.

“What if one of them is an Omega who falls in love with another Omega?” Because that happens sometimes. And if you trust the newer science results, there’s even something like a true mate thing that can happen with the scent of two Alphas or two Omegas. There is a pretty heavy social stigma attached to these unions, though, partly because they usually can’t naturally have children, partly because according to right-wingers the world will break down in utter chaos if there is no clear hierarchy in the home. Dean isn’t sure what exactly makes it different from Beta couples who also don’t have a clear hierarchy, but apparently one is natural and the other is not. Yeah, whatever.

“Well, then it’s maybe better they make their home in our pack where we can ensure their safety.”

“So you wouldn’t throw them out?” he tries to assert.

“Dean,” Cas looks at him with a frown.

“Hey, you know the shit my Dad gave me for just being an Omega. If I had come home with an Omega boyfriend or girlfriend, he’d have killed me.”

Cas’ frown deepens. “I hope you’re not comparing me to your father. Cause I’d take that as an insult that I’m sure I don’t deserve. You know me well enough to know this, Dean. However our children present, whoever they choose as mates, it will not change my attitude towards them. Just because _you_ can drive me wild with talk of breeding doesn’t mean I don’t respect others who choose different ways.”

“Drive you wild, huh?” Dean concentrates on that part and glosses over the insult thing with a smirk. He hadn’t wanted to insult Cas anyway, just make sure that they were on the same page. “I mean, I was contemplating a shower… That would wash off most of your scent… so you’d have to mark me all over again to ensure that everyone knows that I’m all yours, Alpha.”

Cas laughs but it turns out somewhat husky and the shiver that goes through him is noticeable. “You might want to hurry with the shower. Though I do advise against actually _running_ to the bathroom if you really want to make it there…”

Now that makes Dean laugh in turn. “Tempting, very tempting. But I’ve been advised against shower sex. Something about slippery tiles. You could of course join me anyway. For soap and water and refreshed sex in bed after.”

Cas takes a deep, somewhat shaky breath and nods. “Deal.”

They’re still too close to the last round for the need to be overwhelming yet so they don’t have to keep their hands to themselves to avoid temptation in the shower. It’s pleasant to scrub each other under the lukewarm spray (absolutely the maximum temperature Dean can bear) and just lavish in each other’s presence.

With the heady smells of sex gone, Dean scents Cas’ neck again. “You do smell different than normal. Like multiplied you.”

“So do you,” Cas replies.

“Well, yeah, but I’m in heat. You’re just you. Or at least you don’t show any of the violent signs of a rut that I’ve been warned of.”

“Again, you might not want to bring another Alpha close right now.”

Dean judges Cas with an intense stare for a moment.

“What?”

“Nothing. Purely hypothetical anyway.”

Cas arches his eyebrows. “What?”

Dean fidgets uncomfortably. Cas is like a pitbull when he wants to know something. He won’t let go. “Promise me to remember it’s hypothetical. And that tiles are dangerous.”

Cas’ eyebrows rise even higher.

“Theoretically, what would happen if I said No to you?” Cause Cas is pretty big on the consent thing normally. Pretty big as in asking every single time for the first few months they were together before he learned to interpret Dean’s reactions on autopilot and back off without even having to ask in the rare moments that Dean still gets overwhelmed.

But now Cas tenses visibly and even with the fresh water smell around them the change in scent towards the bitter and acrid is noticeable.

“Theoretical, Cas, I won’t,” Dean reminds him quickly.

That relaxes Cas slightly. He sighs. “I’d advise for a very sturdy door. Possibly soundproof cause I have a feeling I’d have reason to be ashamed of the things I would say.” He shakes himself. “Also, a bucket would be appreciated. I feel nauseous just thinking about it.”

“Nauseous?”

“You’re my mate, Dean. An outright rejection from you would do more than sting. Especially during your heat.”

Dean frowns. “It would cause you physical pain? I didn’t know that.”

“Well, you’ve never actually sent me packing. Even when you get scared and break things off for the moment, it isn’t – about me, you know? And I don’t know if you do that consciously or not, but you always give me _something_. You stay close. You pet my hair. You run your hands down my spine. It’s always enough for me not to have a physical reaction.”

“There’s a lot of stuff I still don’t know about you,” Dean says with a thoughtful tug on his lip. “You gotta tell me this shit, okay? I need to know what to do and what to avoid.”

Cas smiles self-consciously. “But it’s my ‘Alpha crap’, as you put it so nicely. I should be able to deal with it by myself.”

“Come on, Cas,” Dean sighs exasperatedly, “this is not what I meant with that. There’s a space in your biology for me, just like there’s one for you in mine. We can help each other.”

Cas huffs a little surprised laugh. “Help each other, huh? Like equals?”

Dean stares at Cas for a moment, testing the sentence for possibilities. But it’s pretty clear that Cas isn’t actually scolding him for talking about them like equals. “I slipped up there, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, you did,” Cas smiles widely. “You realize that you would never have said that even a few months ago, don’t you?”

Dean knows he’s blushing. “Oh shut up.”

“And now you’re ordering me around. This day will go down in history as the start of a new era.”

Cas sounds downright gleeful and Dean just shakes his head. “I know I’ve told you that before, but you’re one weird Alpha. Come on, let’s get out of here and grab something to eat before we’re too far gone to care.”

 

Once they go back out to the bedroom, freshly showered and clean, of course they notice the state of the sheets for the first time.

“It doesn’t even really make sense changing them,” Cas says. “We’ll just mess them up again.”

Dean chuckles at the slight whine in his voice. “Come on, it’s quick work. And the new sheets will smell like us in no time.”

So they change the sheets and even open the window for a bit, taking care to keep the blinds drawn because putting on clothes really seems like wasted effort. Also, Dean isn’t sure he could stand even just boxers.

In the fresh smelling room, Cas’ presence shines like a beacon and Dean tries to tear his eyes away but he catches himself following each and every of Cas’ movements. Cas is graceful in a careless sort of manner, never actually trying for elegance but too in tune with his body to come over as clumsy. Even freshly washed his hair sticks in all directions, though Dean is sure he could make the bed-head more convincing.

“You do realize that you’re staring at me like I’m a pie you’re about to devour, right?”

And another time that would have him blushing again, but right now the heat is pooling inside him and devouring sounds about right. “Want to skip dinner?”

Cas just smirks in answer.

Even with the need flaring high, it turns into a lazy fuck, energy reserves for the day thoroughly depleted.

“With the heat, after a while, everything loses contrast but you,” Dean muses when they lie together after. “It’s like the world is this murky underwater place and you’re the only light. I’m guessing they’re calling it biological focus or something, but it’s pretty freaky actually.”

“Is that all Alphas or just me?” Cas asks.

Dean has to think about that for a moment. “Yes and No. All Alphas stand out. I can’t not notice them. Even without heat. But you’re the only beacon.” Actually, most other Alphas just seem like a huge big warning sign flashing in neon colors to tell him to stay away. But they do stand out.

Going by the grumble, Cas is not really pleased with the answer, though.

Dean has to go back over the question before noticing what is wrong. “You’re asking me whether any Alpha would suffice to quench the need during heat,” Dean recaps and snakes his fingers between Cas’ to squeeze his hand in apology. “God, Cas, sorry, I didn’t get that. Fucking hell, no, I wouldn’t want anyone else to touch me. And before I knew you, I didn’t exactly go out and look for random Alphas, you know? A fake knot is not necessarily satisfying, but it’s a lot less trouble.”

Less dangerous. Less violent. Less prone to accidentally knocking you up or mating you in the heat of the moment (pun intended). All his sexual experimentation had been done very firmly outside of heat and mostly with Betas. There had been one or the other one-night-stand with another Omega out of curiosity, their scents mingling into something somewhat too soft and too sweet, but he had avoided Alphas like the plague. Because usually, they were. Never mattered how worldly and modern they presented themselves, in the end, they expected the Omega in front of them to put out just because they said so. And Dean isn’t small or weak, but Alpha strength overpowers him and he knows it. Gabe is right about that part of what he said. Cas could hurt him if he wanted to. Of course he could. But he’s so deeply anchored inside Dean’s heart that the knowledge doesn’t make a difference.

“You’re the only one, Cas. The only one I never felt a need to defend myself against. The only one I ever wanted to be close to,” Dean picks his train of thought up aloud. “I knew it the very first time you marked me. That I’d been claimed. That I belonged to you. If you hadn’t felt the same way, I don’t know, I probably would have begged you to let me stay somewhere close to you where I’m not too much of a bother. And believe me, I’m not a big fan of begging.” He grimaces.

Cas processes that quietly for a moment before answering. “People have always called me stoic. Or in case of my brother, a robot.”

“He’s an ass for saying that. It’s not true,” Dean interjects because no one has the right to talk bullshit about his mate.

“No, it isn’t true. Never has been, though if there isn’t another day in my life that is proof, that day is. I had the best of intentions that morning. I knew you’d gotten to me. That I found you intriguing and your scent tantalizing. But I wasn’t planning on acting on it. Only, then you marked me and it felt like a claim. You claimed me and – God, Dean, I wanted you so much. I’d never felt anything like that before. And you’d been so scared of me and I was sure I was taking advantage of you but I just couldn’t stop myself…”

“There’s never been a need to stop yourself, little Alpha. Always been all yours.”

“Did you claim me? Or did my mind make that up because I wanted it?”

Dean ducks his head a little. “Nah, I did that. Had no right, still didn’t want to share you with anyone else.”

“I had no right, either, Dean. Yet here we are.”

“Here’s a good place to be,” Dean smiles warmly.

“True. My only complaint is that I should have brought that food over to the nightstand before we started this.”

Dean chuckles. “Yeah, I’m hungry, too. Won’t be too long, though. We’re worn out.”

The prediction turns out to be correct when they can slip apart ten minutes later. They do a quick clean up and bring the tray over to the bed, opting for the risk of sleeping on crumbs again in exchange for the comfort of sitting close enough to lean into each other while eating instead of being confined to chairs.

The foodstuffs piled on the tray are all filling and nutritious and fast to eat. Whole-wheat breads, cheeses, fruit. It’s a good selection and tasty. Still, eating seems obnoxiously exhausting. Dean goes from leaning into Cas to slumping against him, and then somewhere in the middle between one bite and the next, his head sinks to Cas’ shoulder.

“Not yet, Dean. You have to eat,” Cas chastises.

“’m wiped,” Dean mumbles. It’s the best he can do.

“I know. Me, too. But we haven’t eaten more than a sandwich all day. Here.”

A cube of cheese appears in front of Dean. “Do I –“ ‘have to’ he wants to ask but the cube is in his mouth before he gets the sentence out. Because it’s easier than grumbling he just chews and swallows. And does the same with a grape and a piece of bread and a few pieces of apple and banana. He doesn’t even really have to keep his eyes open because Cas will just tap his lips with the next piece. It’s kind of alright, as far as being coddled while being half-asleep goes.

Finally, Cas seems satisfied. At least there is a clatter like he’s putting the knife back down on the tray and then he’s sliding down the tray towards the foot-end of the bed.

“Okay, let’s tuck you in.”

Carefully, Cas shifts their weight so that Dean gets lowered to the bed, head on his pillow like it should be. But then Cas straightens away and that’s not how it should be.

“Hey! Where you going? Come back.” Dean complains.

“I will. Just a moment.”

There’s more noise – the tray being set back on the table, and then the bathroom door. And he guesses that’s alright. As long as Cas comes back.

A while later, he’s dimly aware of his mate nuzzling into his neck and that his body heat should make things hotter and more uncomfortable, but instead it’s like a cooling balm. Dean falls asleep to the thought that heats are much nicer with a mate wrapped around you.

 

When he wakes up in the morning, he wakes to the sound of water running and an empty bed. Cas got a head start then and got in the shower. Well, a head start isn’t that hard, Dean sighs, when he checks his phone. Past noon. 24 hours over. The heat should be ramping up to its maximum about now. But while moving to grab the phone hurts in a dull way, like a bone-deep exhaustion, he feels surprisingly normal. Maybe things blow over faster when you have a mate?

He sighs. He could ask Gabe of course, but he isn’t really sure he’s awake enough to stomach Gabriel yet. Ah, but he could text Charlie and ask her to bring them some coffee. That is an outstanding idea. His phone is blinking incessantly at him. 5 missed messages, 2 missed calls. All from Sam. He slides the message window open.

_Sammy: Home now. Ramen noodles again. Should have listened when you tried to teach me how to cook._

_Sammy: Dean, are you there?_

_Sammy: It’s two hours later, is everything alright? You didn’t pick up._

_Sammy: Just to let you know: I called the landline. Hannah told me you were ‘indisposed’. I made her say the word ‘heat’ out loud. It was fun. I thought she might choke on it._

_Sammy: Please let me know you’re okay soon as you can._

Dean shakes his head. Leave it to Sammy to write the concern as an afterthought.

_Dean: Damn right you should have listened when I tried to teach you how to make my specialty burgers. That recipe is like our family heirloom. Also, don’t torture the household staff._

Not so much because it isn’t fun to torture Hannah a little and try to break through that perfect composure of hers but because she will invariably find a way to pay them back. And when Sam isn’t here, she won’t hesitate to use Dean as proxy. She is too clever to leave traces that would allow him to go snitching to Cas, too. Not that he would. What fun is the game if you bring in the police? But he’d rather like to be playing if he was going to suffer, not leave the fun part to his brother.

He brings up Charlie’s number.

_Dean: Be a dear and bring us some coffee? Would ask Meg but I don’t want her around my mate when he’s less than clothed. I promise it’s mostly safe._

_Charlie: Is that a Winchester or a Novak promise?_

_Dean: Which one will get me coffee?_

_Charlie: The Novak one, definitely the Novak one. Coming up in five._

Dean nods satisfied. And because the water in the bathroom has been turned off, he shouts, “Charlie’s bringing us coffee. Either find some underwear or stay in the bathroom until she’s gone.”

He doesn’t wait for the reply and just goes to the closet to find a pair of boxers for himself. Surprisingly, he thinks he can actually deal with boxers. As long as they’re wide and soft. Yep, the heat is definitely not as brutal as it would be without Cas.

He finds a pair of boxers from Cas’ closet, too, and goes over to the bathroom. There’s a grumbled something when he opens the door, which turns out to be Cas’ attempt at talking while brushing his teeth.

“Here,” Dean holds up the boxers and then puts them down on a dry place on the sink, “thought you’d probably not be up for staying in the bathroom and leaving me alone with anyone, even if it’s just Charlie.”

Another unintelligible garbled sentence that Dean takes as a thank you.

“You’re welcome. I’ll be in the bedroom.”

He’s just opening the window to let some fresh air in, when there’s a knock on the door. “Room service!”

“Come in. It’s safe.”

Charlie balances two cups and a couple of croissants on a tray. “French breakfast, voilà. Also, we have more trays than I thought. Hey, have you lost your Alpha?” she asks when she finally notices that it’s just Dean with her in the room.

“Nah, he’s in the bathroom.”

“And he didn’t come running out the minute I knocked on the door? How badly did you exhaust him?”

“The door isn’t even closed. I can hear you, you know that, right?” Cas calls from the bathroom.

“Sorry, Cas! No offense meant!” But she still winks at Dean and whispers, “honestly, how bad is it?”

Dean takes the tray with yesterday’s food and sets it to the side so the new tray has space. “Charles, has anyone ever told you that whispering is not the way to make an instinctually suspicious Alpha-mate less suspicious of you? Oh, coffee!” He takes the steaming cup in hand. It smells outrageously delicious and it tastes almost as good.

“Weird that you’d be up for anything hot right now.”

“It’s coffee, Charlie. Coffee is not the same category as hot soup or blankets.”

“Still,” Charlie frowns at him.

“Did I hear Dean moan over coffee?”

Charlie takes a big step back from Dean when Cas makes his way out of the bathroom. “Hey, Alpha,” she smiles nervously. “Still doing good?”

“Jesus, Charles, you’re not normally this skittish,” Dean shakes his head.

“You’re not normally in heat, he’s not normally very temperamental.”

“I am now also in the room. There isn’t even a door anymore to pretend I do not hear,” Cas says and takes his cup of coffee.

“Uhh, sorry,” Charlie ducks her head but her smile grows less nervous when Cas answers just as drily as usual and doesn’t show any signs of growly posturing. “You look good, the both of you. And I don’t mean that in a sexy way,” she hastens to clarify, “just looks like you’ve left each other mostly intact.”

“What did you expect?” Cas asks with raised eyebrows.

“Well, Meg told us some stories about first heats between mates…”

“Meg,” Cas sighs. “And Charlie, what exactly gave you the impression that you should ever listen to any of the stories Meg tells?”

“Well, she’s a nurse. She’s seen a lot of stuff,” Charlie defends.

“Yes, and she’s good at her job. Which is why I took her in. But she’s also most gleeful about making people believe anything she can come up with.”

“Meg wasn’t born here?” Dean asks.

“Neither was I, Dean. We’re the strays Cas picked up on his business trips,” Charlie smiles.

“You pick up strays?” Dean frowns.

“I wanted to be a doctor, Dean. I help when help is needed. It rarely goes as far as taking someone in. But Meg was in rough shape when I found her. In a way, so was Charlie.”

“Hope we’re not making you regret your decision, Alpha,” Charlie says. “I like it here.”

“Even though bookkeeping is well under your capabilities?”

Charlie shrugs. “I can always amuse myself with side-projects.”

“Legal ones, I presume,” Cas says, voice even but with a hard edge.

“Believe it or not, Cas, I actually find it quite enjoyable not to be in trouble for once.”

“Good. Keep it that way.”

“Your wish is my command, Alpha,” Charlie says with a little bow. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Just call if you need anything else.”

“Thank you, Charlie.”

“Thanks, Charles.”

And then she’s gone.

“How many outsiders have you taken in over the years?” Dean asks Cas. He has never really thought about it.

“There’s a few. Most join us through marriage. They meet one of ours at college or in summer camp or on vacation and the couple decides to settle here. There’s not that many refugees. And even less that show up on our doorstep like you and Sam.”

“You didn’t takes us in personally, though. You never even met with us.”

“No.”

“Why didn’t you?” Dean asks. He’s taken it for granted before getting to know Cas, but now that he is aware how hands on Cas usually is with pack business, it makes no sense anymore.

“Honestly? Because of the way Ellen described you. She said you were very determined to care for your brother, but also very young and very jaded. That you would likely assume the worst if I wanted to see you. Was she wrong?”

“No,” Dean admits. “Guess I would have thought that talking was not all you wanted. It’s not like I had anything else to give in return for letting us stay. Wouldn’t have liked it. Probably still would have taken my chances on you, though, and just hoped for the best. I mean, I was pretty floored when Ellen told me I could enroll Sam in the local high school. I knew we weren’t going to get another chance like this.”

Cas looks pained but he nods in understanding. “Staying away was my way to say that there was no compensation needed. It was easiest to let Ellen handle things and see how the situation developed. I trust her when it comes to running the town. And I fully expected you to hand in pack applications once you got settled. We would have met then.”

“Never thought we’d have the slightest chance. I mean, you got the half-grown Alpha who’s already turning into a fucking Moose and who’s going to cost you years in schooling before either running off or becoming competition, and the unmated Omega, who’s pretty much just a hassle to the pack. You got to keep him safe, keep everyone’s hormones from flipping out, and it’s not like I have a particularly useful skillset for anything.”

“Dean, you know that’s not true.”

Dean dismisses it with a wave. “It’s still a little true though I’m working on rectifying that. But it was definitely true then. It was Bobby and Ellen who bullied me into getting my GED, Cas. I had no skills apart from hassling pool when I got here. And that’s not a skill you advertise to a potential pack.”

“And your application would still have gotten through.”

“Cause you’re awesome. But I didn’t know that.”

“I should have checked up on you. When you didn’t apply for pack membership, I just assumed we were a pit-stop for you. That you were saving up to go to some pack where you have relatives. Something. And then I forgot about it. That wasn’t very good leadership of me. I should have asked.”

“Nah, Cas, you did good. You gave us a chance where I’m not sure anyone else would have. I’m still grateful.”

“We’ll have to agree to disagree on this one then. I let my fear of hurting you get in the way of helping you effectively. It was my fault that Sam got as sick as he did. We could have avoided that whole incident.”

“Well, I liked parts of that incident. Not the part where Sam was sick obviously. But the part where the frikkin’ pack-Alpha was gorgeous and it turned out that I could make him smell like honey because he liked me.”

“He most definitely does,” Cas smiles.

“Hey, Cas,” Dean asks, “have you noticed something?”

“Hmm?”

“We’ve been standing around talking for a while. We’ve even like got clothes on.”

“Ha,” Cas says and puts his cup down. “Curious.” He comes closer to scent at Dean’s neck. “You don’t smell like heat anymore. Not like before anyway. You still smell somewhat off, though. Different.”

“Different how?” Dean asks with a frown.

Cas leans back in. “Earthier. Like open soils and wide fields.”

“You mean – I smell like you.”

“What?”

“That’s how you smell. Open soils and sunshine over wide fields. Earthy and rooted and calm. That’s your smell.” A slow smile spreads over Dean’s face.

Cas takes another deep breath, then the same disbelieving smile spreads over his face. “You think that means..?”

“I have no idea what else it could mean. It’ll be a while before we can be certain, but yeah, yeah I think that’s what it means.”

They just smile at each other for a long moment, wordless and happy. Then Cas gathers him into his arms for a long joyful kiss.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Nice early pregnancy test, the thing with the combined scents, isn’t it? Though I’m guessing it will make pregnancies where the Alpha is not the biological father somewhat harder, what with him always smelling that other Alpha on his spouse. 
> 
> Also, I apologize for the lack of update about Gabe and Bal and their family planning. I promise the next part will rectify that.


End file.
